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| International tourists visit Ho Chi Minh City's downtown area by double-decker bus. (Photo: VNA) |
HCM City (VNA) - Vietnam’s tourism industry is entering a new growth phase, with Ho Chi Minh City’s special policies opening space and groundbreaking initiatives for leading enterprises, creating a “golden opportunity” for transformation, innovation and strategic growth toward 2035.
Strategy for leveraging special policy mechanisms
The National Assembly’s Resolution 98/2023/QH15 and Resolution 260 amending and supplementing Resolution 98 are not merely extensions of existing policies, but reflect a new development mindset, shifting from a management-oriented approach to a facilitative one that grants greater autonomy alongside accountability. For the tourism sector, transformation is an imperative in the face of intense competition.
According to experts, transformation should go beyond digital and green transitions to encompass changes in governance mindset, organisational models and value creation. Over the past 50 years, Saigontourist Group has served as a flagship of Ho Chi Minh City’s tourism sector, contributing significantly to Vietnam’s tourism through the development of signature products, from cultural and historical tourism and gastronomy to river-based tourism and MICE.
During the 2020–2025 period, Saigontourist Group was tasked with leading multiple regional tourism development linkage programmes and actively participated in hundreds of domestic and international promotion and marketing activities, helping to project Vietnam’s tourism image to the world.
Against the new backdrop, Nguyen Thi Anh Hoa, Chairwoman of the Members’ Council of Saigontourist, said it is time to review the development model and set a strategic vision through 2035, toward comprehensive transformation and sustainable growth, in line with the group’s role as a key State-owned enterprise in the tourism sector.
The group will develop a strategic plan through 2035, aiming for comprehensive transformation, substantive breakthroughs and sustainable growth.
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Tran Hoang Ngan, a NA deputy, stressed that leading tourism enterprises must treat governance as a key pillar, be ready to restructure, divest from inefficient investments, adopt digital-based management and develop a high-quality workforce.
Meanwhile, Prof. Dr. Ngo Phuong Lan, President of the University of Social Sciences and Humanities (USSH) under Vietnam National University – Ho Chi Minh City, held that sustainable growth requires enterprises to shift from scale expansion to value creation, underpinned by a skilled workforce and an internationally oriented mindset.
Digital-based ecosystem connectivity
Market research reports indicate that Ho Chi Minh City’s tourism sector still has large room for growth if the special mechanisms under Resolution 98, Resolution 260 and Resolution 62/2025/NQ-HDND on incentives for attracting MICE visitors are effectively implemented. These policies are considered practical, helping enhance competitiveness, service quality and the city’s standing as a destination.
As global tourism trends continue to evolve and travellers become more demanding, leading tourism and travel enterprises must rethink how they create value, retain visitors and encourage repeat travel in order to generate value and revenue.
According to John Low, Managing Director of Roland Berger Southeast Asia, technology is at the heart of global tourism trends, as travellers increasingly favour personalised experiences and the use of digital platforms and AI throughout their journeys. This is compelling tourism businesses to innovate in how they create value and retain visitors.
Regarding innovation in tourism promotion amid digital transformation, Nguyen Cam Tu, Director of the Ho Chi Minh City Tourism Promotion Centre, said the municipal Department of Tourism has pioneered the successful rollout of the HCMC Global Traveller Barometer — a system for tracking and forecasting key source markets. This has made Ho Chi Minh City the first locality in Vietnam to develop a regularly updated international visitor market database with concrete indicators, helping gradually modernise and enhance the effectiveness of tourism promotion.
Promotional activities will continue to be carried out in a more focused and consistent manner, highlighting signature values such as cuisine, landscapes and experiences, thereby strengthening the brand and appeal of Ho Chi Minh City’s tourism./.
